In the men’s competition Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Jānis Šmēdiņš will play in the main tournament, but Ardis Bedrītis and Artūrs Rinkevičs, as well as the semi-finalist of the Olympic Games Edgars Točs and Kristians Fokerots will compete for the place in the main tournament.
Latvia will be represented in the women’s main event by Anastasija Kravčenoka and Tīna Graudiņa, as well as two more teams, which will be determined on May 15 in the selection tournament.
If men are guaranteed a place in the main tournament of the 16 best teams for only one pair, women will receive a special invitation to the main tournament due to Graudiņa and Kravčenoka’s high place in the world, while the other will fight in the qualification.
The organizers of the competition report that the winners of the Tokyo Olympic Games – Qatar duo Sheriff Junuse / Ahmed Tidjan, who will be sown with the first number in the Jurmala tournament, have confirmed their participation in the main tournament. Norwegian Olympic champions Andress Mul and Christian Serum, as well as the best men’s teams from the USA, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Italy have applied for participation.
Brazilian beach volleyball stars such as 2017 world champion Evandru Gonsalves and 2016 Olympic champions Brunu Oskar Schmidt and Alison Seruti will also visit Latvia.
The Estonian men’s duo Kusti Nelvaks and Marts Tīsārs have also unexpectedly qualified for the main event.
In the main tournament for women, Kravčenoka and Graudiņš have the second number in the main tournament.
World champions Sarah Pavan / Melissa Uman-Paredes of Canada, world-leading women’s duo Katya Stama and Rice Shoon, as well as Olympic medalists Joan Heidich and Anuk Verge-Depre from Switzerland and other strong teams will compete for the victory in the tournament. . Five Brazilian pairs have entered the main event.
There is a place for 12 pairs in the main tournament, but four more duets will be determined in the qualification competition.
The third stage of the season “Elite 16” from June 1 to 5 will take place in Jurmala, but before that at the end of May beach volleyball players will play in the Czech city of Ostrava.
In the first “Elite 16” tournament of the season, which took place in Mexico at the end of March, Graudiņa / Kravčenoka won the second place.
The first level competition in the “Pro Beach Tour” this year is called “Elite 16”, the second in the ranking is “Challenge”, the third – “Futures” competition.
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